[Greens-Media] Spam: Affordable housing initiatives miss the mark

[Twomey, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

Affordable housing initiatives miss the mark 

Current Federal initiatives to address housing affordability are
unlikely to make a difference for those most in need, and may act to
increase pressure on the housing market, according to Greens housing
spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.

"These initiatives simply don't go far enough," said Senator Siewert, at
the Senate Affordable Housing inquiry in Perth today.

"We need to be looking at new types of tenure arrangements and reviewing
current taxation measures if we really want to turn around this housing
affordability crisis."

"We need measures that address the shortage of supply of affordable
housing for both rental and purchase without further heating up the
housing market," she said.

The last decade has seen a lack of investment in public housing together
with taxation measures that favour investment at the high end of the
rental market. This has contributed to a situation in which increasing
numbers of younger working families are struggling to keep up with the
rent and could be permanently locked out of the housing market.

"A serious rethink of our approach to affordable housing is needed,"
said Senator Siewert.

"It is clear that both State and Federal governments will have to invest
more in community and public housing and look at modernising tenure
arrangements to provide a range of more secure tenure types."

"There are some exciting developments with new tenure types in the US,
UK and Sweden - which use shared equity models and restricted deeds to
ensure that there is an ongoing pool of affordable housing," she said.

"These models offer a more cost effective way for Australian governments
to provide affordable housing in perpetuity, by simply putting in place
the right rules and incentives," she concluded.

For more information or comment call Chris Twomey on 0407 725 025